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Here Interest Meets Humanity: How to End the War and Support Reconstruction in Liberia, and the Case for Modest American Leadership

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Here Interest Meets Humanity: How to End the War and Support Reconstruction in Liberia, and the Case for Modest American Leadership Here Interest Meets Humanity: How To End the War and Support Reconstruction in Liberia, and the Case for Modest American Leadership Jamie O'Connell* June 2003 again brought terrible images of Africa to Americans' televi- sion screens. As fighters of the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) cut off Monrovia, food and medicine for the Liberian capital's million inhabitants dwindled. Mortar shells blew apart a group of refu- gees cowering by the U.S. Embassy.' Thousands of civilians suffered shrap- nel and bullet wounds, while government and rebel fighters raped and mur- 2 dered others. Nigeria and other African countries offered to send peacekeepers to stop the fighting and protect shipments of food and medicine. To do so, though, they needed logistical assistance, military support, and backing from a major power that would intimidate the factions. Liberia's chaos threatened the carefully cultivated peace in neighboring Sierra Leone and C6te d'Ivoire. The United Kingdom and France, leading international interventions in those countries, joined U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in calling on the United States to lead international efforts in Liberia.3 The New York Times summa- rized the case: "Swift American intervention could help end two decades of carnage that has destroyed Liberia and crippled several of its neighbors. It * Law Clerk tothe Honorable James R. Browning, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Cir- cuit. Formerly Yale Law School/Open Society Institute Fellow and Supervisor, Human Rights Clinic, Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone. J.D., Yale Law School, 2002. 1 am grateful to the many people who improved this Article. Its direction evolved in early conversations with Comfort Ero, Suzanne Katzenstein, and Binaifer Nowrojee. Tim Bithe, Suzanne Katzenstein, and Anna Spain provided invalu- able comments on drafts. The editors of the Harvard Human Rights Journal polished the final product. Peter Chaveas, Janet Fleischman, John Hirsch, Joseph Melrose, Joseph Opala, Susan Rice, Nancy Soder- berg, and Kathy Ward provided insights and information in interviews. Several current U.S. government officials offered valuable analysis and opinions off the record. W. Michael Reisman inspired me to strive for greater rigor, and Michael Eisenberg's good humor sustained me. I wrote this Article in my personal capacity and bear sole responsibility for the views it expresses. 1. Karl Vick, Liberian Rebels Resume Attacks, WASH. POST, July 22, 2003, at A0. 2. See. e.g., Press Release, Amnesty International, Liberia: West African forces must protect civilians from widespread human rights abuses, Aug. 4, 2003. 3. Christopher Marquis, U.S. Resists Entreaties to Send Peacekeepers to Liberia,N.Y TIMES,July 22, 2003, at A3; Eric Schmitt, Pentagonto Assess Military Needs in Liberia, N.Y. TIMES, July 5, 2003, at A5. HarvardHuman RightsJournal / Vol. 17 can save lives, stabilize a region, and prove that America's commitment to Africa is real."' In early July the Bush Administration announced it was considering sending troops, and dispatched an assessment team to Monrovia. 5 For six weeks the State and Defense Departments struggled over whether to put American "boots on the ground," the former in favor, the latter opposed. 6 The Economist called the delay "fiddling while Monrovia burns."' The result was a pittance. The African intervention force entered Monrovia on August 4. President Charles Taylor resigned, satisfying the rebels' main demand, and left for asylum in Nigeria on August 11. On August 14, 200 8 U.S. Marines went ashore, leaving 2100 others on ships just off the coast. They withdrew to the ships ten days later, with fighting continuing around Liberia and the African force still unable to expand beyond Monrovia's out- skirts. 9 At the beginning of October, they sailed away.10 This Article argues that the United States would serve its national inter- ests by leading the international effort to end fighting in Liberia and recon- struct its state, and that the international community has developed a promis- ing model for such an effort. West Africa's failed states-Liberia, Sierra Le- one, and C6te d'Ivoire-nurture terrorist groups and organized crime. Lacking internationally responsible leadership and control over their territory, their governments either cannot or will not stop those groups from establishing bases, running weapons, laundering money, and raising revenue by trading diamonds or extracting other natural resources. (Al Qaeda has purchased dia- monds in Liberia.)i" In addition to fighting terrorism and crime directly, U.S. leadership in Liberia would counter the view, held by many foreign leaders and ordinary people, that the United States shirks its international responsibilities. Greater goodwill would help the United States obtain coopera- tion on transnational issues affecting its interests, including the environ- ment and emerging diseases, as well as crime and security. The current situation in Liberia provides the best chance in years to sta- bilize West Africa. Liberia will threaten the region until it enjoys durable peace. Its conflict is part of a larger, regional war that began in Liberia in 4. America's Role inLiberia, N.Y.TiMEs, July 24, 2003, at A 18. 5. Schmitt, supra note 3, at A5. 6. Marquis, supra note 3, at A3 ("Pentagon officials arethe most resistant [to deployment), while the State Department is more eager to find a solution."); Powell Backs U.S. Role to Aid Liberia, N.Y.TIMES, July 24, 2003, at A3; Christopher Marquis & Thorn Shanker, Pentagon Leaders Warn of Dangersfor U.S. in Liberia, NY TIMES, July 25, 2003, at A1; Steven R. Weisman & Thorn Shanker, Pressure Up. Washington is Split on Liberia, N.Y. TIMES, Aug. 9, 2003, at Al. 7. Fiddling While Monrovia Burns, ECONOMIST, July 26, 2003, at 46. 8. Tim Weiner, 200 U.S. Marines Land in Liberia to Aid African Force, N.Y. TiMs, Aug. 15, 2003, at A4. 9. Marines Withdraw to Warships, N.Y. TIMES, Aug. 25, 2003, at A4. 10. U.S. Pulls Out of Liberia, BBC NEws, Sept. 30, 2003, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/ 3150650.stm (last visited Nov. 15, 2003). 11. Douglas Farah, Al Qaeda Cash Tied to Diamond Trade, Wash. Post, Nov. 2, 2001, at AOl; Global Witness, For a Few Dollars More 41-63 (2003). 2004 / Liberia: Here Interest Meets Humanity 1989, consumed Sierra Leone during the 1990s, and recently spread to C6te d'Ivoire. Charles Taylor's departure has caused a lull in fighting in Liberia, confusion among his loyalists, and the rebels' willingness to consider a po- litical settlement. An international peacekeeping and reconstruction mission in Liberia, similar to those in Sierra Leone and C6te d'Ivoire being led by the United Kingdom and France, would complete the comprehensive interna- tional effort necessary to end the West African war. The success of international intervention in Liberia will depend on U.S. leadership. West African troops operating alone tried and failed to stop the war in Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s. Yet the United Kingdom suc- ceeded in doing so in Sierra Leone in 2000 and 2001 with just one combat fatality. Under the similar circumstances now present in Liberia, another major power could quell fighting there. After the war's end, Liberia will need a major donor and advocate for international support for its reconstruc- tion. With the United Kingdom and France occupied with Liberia's neigh- bors, only the United States has the resources to take the lead in Liberia. This leadership would cost the United States little in money, political capital, and military resources. No one is calling on the United States alone to end Liberia's war and reconstruct its state, or to bear the full cost of doing so. Many states and international institutions have demonstrated their will- ingness to contribute. By assisting in ways that only it can, the United States would complement and encourage others' participation. Specifically, the United States first needs to make a modest military effort to end the fighting in Liberia, in collaboration with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UN- MIL). As detailed below, this would mostly involve symbolic shows of force to persuade fighters to demobilize and disarm voluntarily; U.S. soldiers would see little or no combat action. The United States also should push Nigeria to send Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone for trial. Second, the United States should provide the plurality of funding for reconstruction, totaling perhaps $1.25 billion over a decade. Finally, it should use its dip- lomatic clout to ensure that the international community maintains its sup- port for Liberia's reconstruction and that Liberian leaders make steady prog- ress on reform. The Article begins by explaining the origins and key events of the West African regional war, emphasizing its function as a cover for profiteering by warlords and their allies. Part II explains the method for ending wars and supporting reconstruction developed in international interventions in Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, and Sierra Leone. It focuses on Sierra Leone, which faced problems similar and closely linked to Liberia's. Part III outlines the international mission taking shape in Liberia and explains how the United States' current policy of minimal engagement leaves the mission vulnerable. It then details the more robust role the United States should play. Part IV explains why significant involvement in Liberia would serve U.S. national interests and addresses skeptics' arguments about its cost. HarvardHuman Rights Journal / Vol. 17 1. THE ORIGINS OF WEST AFRICA'S TROUBLES Liberia reached its current, abject state after a half-century of political and economic decay. Sierra Leone followed a similar path that has reversed only since 2000 with massive international assistance. Their neighbors, C6te d'Ivoire and Guinea, also suffer from weak political institutions, corruption, and economic stagnation.
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